As Riley turned to mount his horse, Shayn glanced at Simone and swallowed. He wanted to stop his brother and ask him to take her back to Klain, to relative safety.
The original trip had just been for surveying, and that had resulted in kidnapping, attack by a strange wasp-locust from another world, halflings, giants, and some sort of unholy monster who could apparently bend people's loyalty to its will.
Surveying was no real place for a woman under normal circumstances, but all the rest? The weight of responsibility felt heavy on his shoulders. He had to make sure she stayed safe. Chasing giants, even ones who had been friendly so far, did not exactly fit that bill.
He opened his mouth, but something held him back. It probably wouldn't change Riley's mind, and he had too much to think about to worry overly about the fate of one specific woman. It also would look like challenging his orders, which would be terrible for morale of the other men in the wake of the two that had just left.
Simone would also be furious at him. Accuse him of trying to get rid of her. Honestly, it would be a little better for his sanity and concentration if he did, but not for the same reasons as he'd had at the beginning of the journey.
Finally, the giants seemed to like her a little better than they liked him. Nothing overt, but their facial expressions were a little softer when they addressed her. It might be unwise to throw away even the smallest boon in convincing them to come to Klain's aid.
Riley turned to look at the pair a final time, and Shayn snapped a salute to set an example of unwavering obedience to the other men… not that it would matter much in the face of magic. But still, what little things he could do might add up to more.
Riley saluted in return, his face uncharacteristically stoic, but then he glanced at Simone and nodded with a small smile, throwing a final, almost imperceptible suggestive wink at his brother before leading his men off.
Shayn's traitorous face burned. With indignation, he told himself. Even in the midst of such serious circumstances, Riley could always find an opening to tease.
"I didn't mean to invite myself," Simone spoke quietly. "I'm sorry you're stuck with me a while longer."
"I'm growing used to having you around," Shayn permitted himself to admit that much. "You're not nearly as insufferable as you were at first."
"Same goes for you," She smiled. "Shall we be off then? The giants have a fair head start by now."
Shayn's stomach rumbled. "Maybe some lunch–"
His face paled as he reached down to his side. All he had was a waterskin.
"Jarnsaxa still has our supplies." Simone's brow creased. "Should we run after her, or catch up to the General and ask if he has any to spare?"
Shayn's eyes cut to where his brother had departed. It would be a simple thing to catch up with him. He could probably even shout and still be heard for another minute or two.
"Judah, can you get to the giants quickly?" He asked. The cat chirped cheerfully in apparent confirmation. "Then we don't need to burden Riley any further."
The giantess had plenty in her pocket to last them to Klain. They might even beat Riley back, so long as the giants were willing. But much had changed, and she had left angry, and running. How far might she get before they caught up?
"A woman furious at her husband might be hard to predict." Simone echoed his thoughts, and he looked at her.
"She wouldn't withhold our food and supplies out of anger at him," Shayn grew less certain as he spoke. "Would she?"
"I don't think so, but we'd better hurry." A strand of hair blew across her face, and she hurriedly tucked it back. He was momentarily distracted by the gesture, but shook it off.
"Front or back?" He asked. At this point, he was equally put off balance by either her arms around him or his around her.
"Back, I think." Color crept up her neck. He wondered at her answer. His closeness must have unnerved her in some way, but he couldn't tell whether it was positive or negative. A fleeting hope that she might be dealing with emotions similar to his was crushed as she continued. "The wind isn't as bad with you as a windbreak in front of me."
"I'm glad to be useful in at least some way," He managed a grin before climbing atop Judah's back and holding his hand down to help her. She took it, and her cool, soft skin sent a light shock up his arm.
Together, with a rhythm that was becoming more and more familiar, they pulled and she found her place behind him. Arranging her skirts modestly, she wrapped her arms around his waist. The cool breeze from the South blew again, causing her to shiver and press against his back.
He suppressed the warmth of satisfaction he felt having her willingly push closer to him. Judah took off before either of them could say a word, and all at once they were flying low through the forest.
Jarnsaxa must have been running at top speed, for her footprints were far apart. She'd headed due Northwest, towards the scrub land and desert, instead of Northeast towards the city. Judah gave the area where they had encountered Beast a wide berth, lengthening the duration of the ride it would take to catch the giants.
Hopefully she hadn't gone far. Perhaps she had only fled a short distance, for a giant, before stopping to take a breath and reason out the situation they had encountered.
Once past the danger of the place Beast had been, Judah settled into a smooth sprint that would have been relaxing if not for the wind blasting into Shayn's face from the speed and the ever-present terror of falling off and being killed under Judah's back four feet.
Simone's cheek came to rest on his back with a slight bump, prompting her to sit up straighter and hold herself away from him. He wondered at it, but then it happened again a few minutes later. Her arms around him were also relaxing by degrees.
She was gradually falling asleep.
He looked at the sky. The sun was low on the horizon. His stomach growled. Another day without lunch. He felt, rather than heard, when Simone yawned and shivered slightly. She was slowly relaxing against him again, her cheek having located what he assumed must be a comfortable place between his shoulder blades.
Her breathing deepened, and her arms began to slacken. He released part of his grip on Judah's mane and placed one hand over arms to hold them in place, lest she slide off Judah's back.
Her hands were cool to the touch; his own had been buried in Judah's fur. She sighed quietly, and the moment touched him. Though exhaustion drove her actions, the mere fact that she was willing to fall asleep near him, against him, spoke of a measure of trust he would not have dreamed of when they first met.
He was so distracted by his thoughts that he failed to notice when they started traveling uphill. Only when Judah's pace began to slacken due to the steeper climb were Shayn's eyes pulled forward.
This didn't make sense. As far as he knew, there were no mountains this far–
"Oh no," He breathed. Another footprint on the slope confirmed that Judah was still following Jarnsaxa's path.
Judah's breathing became strained as he climbed higher, and Simone stirred behind him.
"Hold on tight," He warned her, and felt the panic of waking up in an unfamiliar place jolt her.
Her arms constricted, and he grinned over his shoulder.
"Did you have a nice nap?" He asked her lightly as Judah paused on a ledge.
"Where are we?" She replied, her face burning. His smile faded as he looked around.
"On a mountain that definitely shouldn't be here, it seems," He said seriously. She hesitated.
"Did a portal already open here, or is one about to?" Simone frowned.
"Impossible to say, along with the reason the giants came this direction," Shayn sighed. "You all right, Judah?"
The sun was low enough in the sky that they were now in the shadow of this unexpected peak. It would be sunset before long.
"We can't stay here for the night, can we?" Simone whispered. "Jarnsaxa has our food, supplies, and the rest of our water."
The weight of a wrong decision fell on Shayn's shoulders. They should have asked Riley for more supplies rather than trusting on the ability to catch up to the giantess and her son.
"If Judah needs to rest, we will stay," He said uneasily. "Or try to hike at a pace that will wind up being so slow that it will practically be the same as standing still for him, right?" He asked.
Before Judah could begin to respond with his characteristic chirps, the earth shook beneath them.